Heavy Rains

This past week we have been going to a lot of flea markets-thrift shops-garage sales and sight seeing. Harriet was with us and we had a wonderful few days together.

This spring we had unseasonably high amounts of rain and most every stream, river and lake has overflown. We drove to the dam on Beaver Lake, off hwy 187, to see the opened flood gates. It was something to see. They were raised 3 1/2 feet that day and at it's peak they were raised 9 1/12 feet. That must have been awesome. We posted one of the pictures we took. Then we went to Lake Atlanta--Bella Vista- Pinnacle --Promenade at Pinnacle and the new XNWA airport. This place has grown by leaps and bounds these past few years. Rogers now is pushing 50,000 people.

Of course we couldn't pass up --Helping Hands--Salvation Army--Rose Mall-- Homestead Mall and a neighbor hood garage sale that could have been a days event in itse

The flowering shrubs-- tree-- and early bulbs are finished blooming and most all the leaves are out, leaving us with a lot of yellow pollen. Pity the people with allergy.

The Joy Of Happy Children

This morning we were sitting on the back patio, enjoying another cup of coffee and a beautiful spring day. The tulips are nearly finished blooming--the grass needs cutting at least once a week and the birds are so busy hunting for food(probably for their young).

We had an extra bonus this morning. The neighbors who live right across the alley from us, have five children. They are young, probably the oldest being 13-- home schooled--always pretending--playing with their two dogs--picking up the doo-doo back of them and very active. Today they were playing outside until it was time for school. What a joy to see such happy children--never a rude word--beating up on each other--bad language nor tattle taling. I just have to believe that there is not one inkling of making a bomb to blow up a school or kill teachers and companions.

You won't believe it!

Last week I was working in the back yard. The late April hard frost,last year, did havic to the trees, and are still constantly dropping dead limbs. I had a big bundle in my arms to bring to the trash can in front of the house. I came around the corner and there in the driveway sat a brand new TOYOTA HYBRID.

Our friend had just purchased it and was eager to show us all the bells and whistles on that thing. You won't believe it!!. He doesn't even have to take the keys out of his pocket, ever. He walks out of the house and the doors unlock. We walk out, and the doors remain locked. He touches the car and the motor starts. It has airs bags all over the place. The gauges -lights-etc. are not on the dash, but behind it, near the windshield. Nothing is on the dash behind the steering wheel. It has a three tier trunk. Tools- first aid kit-etc. are already in there for them. These are in the bottom layer. Then a huge place to store all the purchases made at the mall that day. Above that you pull down a covering and can place lighter items up there or stuff of the kids to play with. When he's ready to back up a TV comes up on the dash and show him all the way to the pavement just what is back of his car.

I guess if I had to drive one of those things, I'd be like my mother. She was learning to drive ,soon ater they were married, and went to get the mail 1/4 mile away. Dad climbed up the windmill to watch her, which made her so disturbed, that she never drove again. Guess I'd never drive a new hybrid either.

Birds and flowers

My flower pots, given to me by some crafty people, blew over in the wind this winter and crushed to pieces. I replaced two of them and put the arrangement back together. Added my artifical flowers and the necessary moss to cover the styrofoam. Then I put some lattice work around the muns. ( Last year the muns fell all over so that was enough of that. ) In so doing, I lost my balance and fell backwards and landed on one of my lattice rings, still waiting to be installed, and crushed that poor thing all to piece. SJ was able to retrive it for me by screwing all the lattice back on the leather, Looks good as new.

Went out to check the changes in the yard , like I do every morning, and found the birds have been taking all my moss, apparently to build another nest.. Probably sparrows, which brings back a memory. When Lois and I were about 10-12, we would walk to Lucille and play in her large barn with a great haymow. We would climb on the beams and get the eggs out of all the nest and then destroy the nest, of what ever bird had used those beams to raise another batch of young'ns . Then we would take the eggs and mix them with cracked corn and pretend. That was great fun, also kept the haymow cleaner.

Can't really believe the weather

I woke up this morning to 41 degrees. Not bad for March but yesterday I woke up to 66 degrees. It's been my assignment to jump out of bed,- plug in the coffee pot--turn up the thermostat--turn on the electric heater in the bathroom--and then crawl back in bed under the electric blanket for an other 30 minutes and watch the news on TV.

Sure beats growing up in Iowa. Dad was the first up. He didn't just turn up the thermostat, but rather started a wood and cob fire in the kitchen cook stove. Then he'd stoke up the coal stove in the dining room and shake down the ash that came in the night. Next he'd set on a pan over the open cook stove grate, fill it with water and throw in coffee grinds. While that boiled, to make up his 1st cup of coffee , he'd go out to the outhouse for his morning chore--probably using peach paper or catalogue pages for a soft wipe. No electric blanket--no TV- no electric heater or furnace. NO ELECTRICITY!

Yep, we've got it good. But we had more relaxed family time than what we have today, actually enjoying working together.

"Sorry about that"

Heard today on the telephone, that some states are getiing snow,(Iowa -maybe Mi.) while we had 82 degree weather. Sorry about that. SPRING.



Isn't its something tho - the Bartlett Pears are all in bloom and soon leaves will be appearing? We even saw one turning green on our way to town today.The yellow forsethye -white popcorn- and red regalia bushes are beautiful. Daffaodil are over doing themselves everywhere and so are the blue flags. It's awesome and it's only the beginning of all the new growth life coming soon. God is Great.



It's not pretty all over Ar. though. So much flooding on the eastern part of the state along
the Mississippi. Over 30 counties are now declared disaster areas, with supposedly more rain on the way for that area tomorrow.



Sure is fun watching the squirels scratching all the lawn for their buried nuts and the robins building their nest on the neighbors outside light. So much to see and do, but I best turn out the lights and turn in for the night.

Progress

Rogers is growing by leaps and bounds. What used to be farmland and run down junk filled homesteads (when we were living in Bella Vista) are now 5 lane byways, with a bank on every corner.

Just last week 40th. street was opened . It runs through farm land and creeks from Walnut to the new Hospital (7 stories no less) and on to Pinnacle and Promenade Mall. Just beautiful and efficient.

Next--a 5 way byway running right past the front of our Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. All the large pines have been bull dozed down--pipe lines laid and now the dirt is moving. We don't have the rocks like many places in Ar. do though--just red top soil. It will run all the way to the new Mall-Walmart-Golden Coral-Starbuck etc.

Something very interesting to watch and we are looking to the finish of it.